Box-fastener.



P-ATENTBD MAIL; 3

H. L. JONES. BOX FASTENER. APPLICATION IVILBD JUNE 24.1903.

K0 MODEL.

I WITNESSES;

' UNITED, STATES Patented March 8, 190,4.

PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH L. JONES, or OSOEOLA, MISSOURI.

BOX-.FASTENEH.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 753,889, dated March 8, 1904. I i I 7 Application filed June 24, 1903. Serial No. 162,954. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUGH L. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Osceola, in the county of St. Clair and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box-Fasteners, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to new and useful improvements in box-fasteners adapted to be used in connection with crates and boxes for shipping purposes and which are provided with covers or lids removable bodily from the box when it is desired to expose the contents or remove them therefrom. v

The object of the invention is to provide a fastener which is simple in construction and' .Will efiectually hold the lid in closed relation upon the box and may be conveniently and readily applied to the box and operated to release the lid without the use of' special tools.

The invention consists in the novel construction of the fastener and its arrangement in operative combination with the box, the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out hereinafter and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, form:

ing apart of this specification, and wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wellknown form of box, showing the cover se-' cured thereon by my improved fastener. Fig.

2 is a top plan view of a box provided with my invention. Fig. 3 is an end view of'the box, and Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the eyes forming part of the fastener.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a shipping box or crate of a well-known form,

such as is usually employed for the shipment of food products and which are designed to be returned to their original point of ship ping'after the contents have been removed. The box is shown as being rectangular in form and constructed of side and end pieces which are secued together in any suitable manner. Secured upon each of the end pieces of the box at points adjacent their upper portions is a cross-strip 2, which extends, preferably, the entire width of the end piece and the upper face of which lies flush with the upper edge of said end piece. This cross-strip constitutes a convenient form of handle by means of which the box may be lifted and carried and which also forms a part of my improved lid-fastening device, to be more fully described hereinafter. -Ata point adjacent one of its ends these cross-strips are formed with a recess or pocket 3, which opens through the upper face of the cross-piece and the purpose of which will fully appear hereinafterl Upon the upper edge of each of the end pieces are arranged and secured eyes 4: 4, which are spaced apart a suitable distance and the eye portions of which-are disposed longitudinally of the box. Thesesets of eyes are spaced apart an equal distance and are so arranged upon the its extreme end portions the cover or lid is formed with open-ended slots 7, which are spaced apart a suffici'ent distance and are so located as to be fitted down over the eyes 4 when the cover is in position to close the box, the eyes being of suflicient heightto extend above the upper face of the cover. One of the slots upon each of the endsof the cover is cut away at one side, as shown. at 8, in order that the recess or socket 3 in the-cross-piece 2 will open upwardly through the cover of the box, as shown in the drawings.

As above stated, the eyes 4 are of such a height as to project above the surface of the cover, and at one end I secure the cover in position by projecting a pin 9 through said eyes above the cover and binding the end terminals of said pin at an angle thereto, as at 10, to prevent longitudinal dislodgment. .of said pin.

from its Position in the yes. This lockingpin is devised to rest permanently in th eyes,

as above described. At the opposite end the lid is also fastened in position by means of a pin 11, inserted through the eyes 4; but this pin is so constructed as to be readily removable from the position in the eyes when it is desired to release the cover and which may be returned to its locking position to fasten the cover to close the box. This pin is also provided with means to hold it in its locking position. One end of the pin-11 is bent at an angle thereto, as at 12, which end is adapted to be inserted through the eyes 4, and while this bent portion is intended to prevent to a certain degree endwise movement of the pin it may be drawn through the eyes when the pin assumes a certain position. At the opposite end of the pin from that just described said pin is provided with a finger-piece and locking-arm, which is preferably formed by turning the end of said pin at an angle thereto, as at 13. When the pin 11 is in position in the eyes 4 to fasten the cover in position, -it is adapted to be turned so that the lockingarm may be located in the recess or socket 3, formed in the cross-piece 7, the cut-outportion 8 permitting said arm to be placed in said recess. This arm and socket combine to prevent the endwise movement of the pin through the eyes in both directions, and it will be impossible to remove the cover until the arm is lifted out of the recess and the pin withdrawn from the eyes.

The uses and operation of the invention may be stated as follows: When it is desired to fasten the cover on the box, it is placed in position thereon with the eyes 4: on each end of the cover projecting upwardly through the slots 7, as shown in the drawings, with the slot 7 provided with the cut-away portion 8, arranged over the recess 3 in the cross-piece. The pin 9 is then placed in position and is locked in position by bending the end portions 10, as described above. After the pin 9 has been placed in position the pin 11 is inserted through the eyes at the opposite end of the cover, and the arm 13 is turned to take its position in the recess 3, when the cover will be securely fastened in position. When the cover is to be removed, the pin 11 is Withdrawn by lifting the arm 13 out of the recess and pulling the pin out of the eyes in the direction of the arm, the end portion 12 being removable from the eye when the pin is free to be removed. The pin being out of position, the lid may then be removed by lifting the end released by removing the pin 11, the pin 9 remaining in its position.

It will be seen that the-cover, as described, is readily reversible end for end and that no care must be exercised in order to place the lid in any particular position, except so far as the slot 7, having the cut-out portion 8, must be over the recess 3 in the cross-piece 2, which in view of the fact that both ends of the cover are similarly provided is readily accomplished.

It is not imperative that the exact form of pin as shown at 9 be utilized at one of the ends of the cover, as shown, inasmuch as the ends of the box and cover may be duplicates in structure and a pin similar to that shown at 11 employed for fastening both ends of the cover. I have deemed it best to employ the pin as shown at 9 for the reason that it efficiently accomplishes the purpose for which it is employed and being always in position on the box is less liable to dislodgment and loss than if it were removable.

What I claim is In a box-fastener, the combination with a box provided with eyes and a recess, of a cover having slots through which the eyes project and one of which registers with said recess, a locking member inserted through the eyes and provided with an arm adapted to be turned into engagement with the recess in the box to prevent endwise movement of the locking member in both directions.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH L. JONES.

Witnesses:

J. O. HARGUs, C. A. MITCHELL. 

